UK excellence in innovation and technology

An exciting new conference will feature some of the biggest names in UK manufacturing and highlight excellence in innovation and technology.

The Engineer Conference will include high-level speakers from blue chip engineering organisations – including Jaguar Land Rover, Astrium, BAE Systems and Airbus – and pioneers and innovators in fields ranging from additive manufacturing and plastic electronics to manufacturing in space and the creation of Team GB’s Olympic-medal-winning carbon fibre bikes.

The Conference runs alongside the Subcon and Advanced Manufacturing Shows on 4 & 5 June at the NEC, Birmingham. It will provide a unique snapshot of the diversity of UK industry and give visitors valuable insight into the manufacturing and innovation strategies of some of the UK’s most exciting engineering organisations.
Each day starts with a keynote address setting the scene for the following sessions.

On Tuesday 4 June proceedings will be opened by Bob Joyce, Group Engineering Director, Jaguar Land Rover who will examine the role innovation in engineering and technology has played in JLR’s success.
Following him will be Patrick Wood, Head of Engineering & Industrial Operations, Astrium Satellites, who will look at the particular challenges faced when manufacturing for space applications, and Dimitris Katsanis, the composites specialist and designer who has helped make British cycling success the envy of the work.
The morning will end with a panel discussion that looks at how all these strands come together in the drive for energy-saving lightweight structures.

The afternoon session starts with a look outside mainstream mechanical engineering to the world of buildings and structures, when leading academic expert Robert Hairstans explains how principles such as lean are being applied to the off-site construction of buildings. He is followed by Prof Richard Hague, one of the UK’s leading figures in the research into additive manufacturing.

Rounding off a full and stimulating day will be Colin Sirett, Head of Research and Technology at Airbus.
The second day is equally packed full of insight and expertise. The keynote speaker, Dick Elsy, CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, the UK’s seven world-class advanced manufacturing research centres, will talk about bridging the gap between innovation and commercial reality.

The innovation theme continues with Mike Banach of Plastic Logic looking at the future of smart display technology and Geoff McFarland, Group Engineering Director of Renishaw, showing how the company embraces both conventional and additive manufacturing to get the best of both worlds. A panel discussion follows on the way we will be working in the future.

Bringing the theme back to excellence in applied technology, Mark Whelan, F35 Programme Manager at BAE Systems, will talk about the company’s ground-breaking titanium machining facility.

The final two sessions focus on innovation and excellence in SMEs, with Andrew Bowyer of Magna Parva talking about how his company is investigating how we might make structures in space, and Chris Bladon of Bladon Jets explaining the innovative EDM methods that make micro gas turbine engines a possible power source for low-carbon vehicles.

Jon Excell, Editor of The Engineer commented: “We are delighted to have such an impressive line-up of speakers. Anyone attending the conference will have a unique chance to hear from some of the UK’s most innovative and inspiring organisations and gain an insight into what drives their success.”

Places at the Conference are limited but can be requested free of charge by anyone registered for the Subcon or Advanced Manufacturing Shows. Places can be booked for the whole Conference, for individual days and for individual morning and afternoon sessions. Demand for the tickets is expected to be high, so early booking is strongly recommended.

One ticket covers all three events and you can register for the shows and reserve your tickets for The Engineer Conference at www.subconshow.co.uk and www.advancedmanufacturingshow.co.uk.